Big Mac and wise

But those who achieve at the level McGwire did as a player don't often end up doing what he is doing now — rising early every day, disappearing into the batting cages at Camelback Ranch to teach the next generation of hitters what he learned as one of the most feared sluggers in baseball history.

Thirteen major league teams, including the Dodgers, have gone to a two-coach approach for hitters. Of the 43 current hitting coaches, there are more who never played in the majors (nine) than there are those who made multiple All-Star teams as McGwire did. Seven more had fewer than 100 hits in their major league career. Only four (besides McGwire) made more than two All-Star teams and none approached McGwire's 12 selections in 16 seasons.

Only Harold Baines (assistant hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox) came within 200 of McGwire's home run total — he hit 199 fewer than McGwire's 583 — or exceeded McGwire's career total of 1,414 RBI.

“I don't believe that,” said infielder Nick Punto, who also worked with McGwire in St. Louis. “Some great hitters were great with talent and talent alone. Big Mac was a great hitter. But he was also a heady, into-the-game hitter. He knows patterns, understands situations.”

Not always.

McGwire said he “basically played the first six years of my career on just physical ability. I didn't really understand what the game was about. … Then somewhere, somehow I had a major road block and had to make changes.”

That road block was a miserable 1991 season that saw him bat just .201 with 22 home runs, the lowest full-season total of his career. During the offseason, the Oakland Athletics hired Doug Rader (fresh off his firing as manager of the Angels) as the new hitting coach on Manager Tony La Russa's staff. Rader began working with McGwire that winter and “the light bulb just went on,” he said.

“He's the guy who really simplified things for me,” McGwire said. “
‘That guy (the pitcher) gets paid a lot of money to get you out. It's OK. Why are you going to beat yourself up mentally because you swung at some balls or he was nasty tonight? It's OK. Flip the page.' That's when I started understanding, ‘Hey, you know what? There's more to this game than all this stuff.' It's about this mindset of being really ready and having your game plan against his game plan with the ability to make adjustments during the game.”

To that point, McGwire had a career average of .244 with an on-base percentage of .351 and one home run every 14.9 at-bats. In his next 10 seasons, McGwire, who admits to using performance-enhancing drugs during that time, says he “knew myself as a hitter.” He batted .277 with a .424 on-base percentage and one home run every 8.7 at-bats. Taking the knowledge gained during that evolution as a hitter into retirement with him seemed like a waste.

“When you really understand yourself as a hitter, it's easier to teach it,” he said. “The first six years of my career, if anyone asked me about hitting — like Tony (La Russa) always said, ‘Mark just wants to go up there, see it and hit it.'

“When I started understanding who I was, accepting what kind of hitter I was and really understanding what the game is all about, that's when I really said, ‘That's who I am.' Then when I retired, I knew who I was and I knew what I went through … that's when I felt like I wanted to give back.”

McGwire began working with individual hitters near his Orange County home. After the 2005 season, La Russa suggested to a pair of young Cardinals hitters, Skip Schumaker and Chris Duncan, that they might benefit from spending some time with McGwire. Schumaker, the Aliso Niguel High grad, said he jumped at the chance.

“He simplifies it. He doesn't try to make you become what he was — this huge power hitter,” Schumaker said. “He tries to see what clicks with you and then he simplifies hitting. It doesn't matter if you're me or Matt Kemp.”

McGwire had another obstacle to returning to a more visible role in baseball. In retirement, he had avoided questions about his steroids use during his career. But McGwire said having to address that issue did not hold him back.

“I didn't know what to expect if I did come back. I was still in retired mode,” he said. “I just got married again, just started a family again — I just wanted to enjoy retired life. … As far as answering all the questions, that didn't really cross my mind until 2010. And when they asked me, I said I did what I did and it's over with.”

The same family concerns led him to leave the Cardinals for the Dodgers, an opportunity to work much closer to home.

“He's really easy to talk to and he gives you information back,” Crawford said. “It doesn't seem like his ego is involved. He played. He's had his time. He just wants to help guys now.”

NOTES

Crawford was cleared to begin swinging a bat again and took 50 swings off a tee Thursday. Crawford said there was no discomfort in his arm. He said he would “try to be a little more patient and stay with the program” after suffering nerve irritation when he increased his activities early last week. But he still would not write off returning on opening day.“I haven't accepted that at all,” Crawford said.…

Right-hander Zack Greinke will skip a turn in the rotation. His scheduled start Wednesday was scratched because of illness and some tightness in his arm. He was feeling better Thursday and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session today. If all goes well, Greinke will return to the rotation for his next scheduled start, Monday against Milwaukee..

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